TEKOAH (Tuckachinsky), YOSEF

TEKOAH (Tuckachinsky), YOSEF (1925–1991), Israeli diplomat. Tekoah was born in Belorussia, but emigrated as a child with his family to Shanghai, where he graduated in law. He joined the Israel Foreign Service at the inception of the State and held the posts of deputy legal adviser to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, legal adviser to the Israel Defense Forces on Armistice Affairs, and director of armistice affairs. In the last capacity he headed Israel's delegations to the Mixed Armistice Commissions with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria from 1948 to 1958.

In 1958 he was appointed deputy permanent representative of Israel to the United Nations with the rank of minister plenipotentiary, and from May 1959 was acting permanent representative. He served as ambassador of Israel to Brazil in 1960–62, and to the U.S.S.R. from 1962 to 1965. In 1966 he was appointed assistant director-general of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and in January 1968 permanent representative to the United Nations. On his retirement in 1975 he was appointed president of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.